THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Students who completed their medical studies abroad are worried as many of them have been denied admit cards for appearing for the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE) scheduled to be held on Friday. The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), the exam authority, rejected the applications on the grounds that they were incomplete and not according to the prescribed format. However the students denied the charges.
The students and parents have made a beeline outside the NBEMS office in Delhi expecting a favourable response before the exam. The exam is crucial for them because they can practice medicine in the country only after clearing the exam.
The students alleged that the NBEMS has taken a stubborn stand for no reason.“We have made every effort all these months to appear for the exam. But the authorities have refused to discuss the issue. We have been kept outside the NBEMS gate,” said a student.
The students and parents rushed to the Delhi office as they realised about the status of admit card only recently. The exam was scheduled to be held on December 4 last year. It was postponed to January 20 and admit cards were issued only on January 14.
According to him, around 5,000 students have been denied the admit card. While denying the admit card, the NBEMS officials stated that the applications were rejected despite giving opportunities for the applicants to rectify the mistake. However students said that they are experienced enough to submit proper applications.
“Some of us have experience in applying and writing the exams many times before. Our applications were accepted previously without any issues,” said the student. One of the major issues identified by the NBEMS was the quality of photos of the applicants. They said that the applicants had uploaded pictures which are bigger than the file size mentioned.
The parents back home are also worried about the development.“My son went to Delhi to prepare for the exam. He narrowly missed the pass mark during the Covid period. This time he wanted to crack the exam,” said a teacher and the mother of an applicant in Thiruvananthapuram. Around 15,000 to 18,000 students write the exam held twice every year. Only 13- 16% clear the screening test. NBEMS did not respond to the calls made to the office.
CRUCIAL TEST
The exam is crucial for the students who completed their medical studies abroad because they can practice medicine in the country only after clearing the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination. They alleged that the NBEMS has taken a stubborn stand for no reason. The students have denied all charges levelled against them by the authorities